Safety
Safety is paramount especially when working in the marine and offshore industry. A total of 562 workplace injuries, of which 13 are fatalities have been recorded by the Ministry of Manpower in 2008 for the marine industry.Singapore Ministry of Manpower Reports and Statistics An individual or a company who fail to comply with the Workplace Safety and Health Act will be penalized by either a fine, stop-work order, imprisonment or a any combination of the fore mentioned. Shipyard Safety Instruction Course According to the Singapore law, a person is permitted to enter the shipyard if they pass the Shipyard Safety Instruction course. The course covers the following:NTUC Learning Hub Shipyard Safety Instruction Course *Chemistry of fire and types of combustible materials (Fuel) *Shipyard Permit-to-Work systems for prevention of fire and explosions *Causes of fires and explosions and their prevention *Safety signs *Evacuation in case of a fire *Specialized operations *Material handling *Mechanical and electrical hazards *Falling hazards *Health hazards BP’s Golden Rules of Safety British Petroleum (BP) enforces 8 golden rules of safetyBP’s Golden Rules of Safety and requires all their contractors to go through a safety induction in order to work on any of their projects. Permit to Work Before conducting work that involves confined space entry, work on energy systems, ground disturbance in locations where buried hazards may exist, or hot work in potentially explosive environments, a permit must be obtained that: *defines scope of work *identifies hazards and assesses risk *establishes control measures to eliminate or mitigate hazards *links the work to other associated work permits or simultaneous operations *is authorized by the responsible person(s) *communicates above information to all involved in the work *ensures adequate control over the return to normal operations Energy Isolation Any isolation of energy systems; mechanical, electrical, process, hydraulic and others, cannot proceed unless: *the method of isolation and discharge of stored energy are agreed and executed by a competent person(s) *any stored energy is discharged *a system of locks and tags is utilized at isolation points *a test is conducted to ensure the isolation is effective *isolation effectiveness is periodically monitored Ground Disturbance Work that involves a man-made cut, cavity, trench or depression in the earth’s surface formed by earth removal cannot proceed unless: *a hazard assessment of the work site is completed by the competent person(s) *all underground hazards, i.e. pipelines, electric cables, etc., have been identified, located and if necessary, isolated Where persons are to enter an excavation: *a confined space entry permit must be issued if the entry meets the confined space definition *ground movement must be controlled and collapse prevented by systematically shoring, sloping, benching, etc., as appropriate *ground and environmental conditions must be continuously monitored for change Confined Space Entry Entry into any confined space cannot proceed unless: *all other options have been ruled out *permit is issued with authorization by a responsible person(s) *permit is communicated to all affected personnel and posted, as required *all persons involved are competent to do the work *all sources of energy affecting the space have been isolated *testing of atmospheres is conducted, verified and repeated as often as defined by the risk assessment *stand-by person is stationed *unauthorized entry is prevented Working at Heights Working at heights of 2 metres (6 feet) or higher above the ground cannot proceed unless: *a fixed platform is used with guard or hand rails, verified by a competent person, or… *fall arrest equipment is used that has: **a proper anchor, mounted preferably overhead **full body harness using double latch self locking snap hooks at each connection **synthetic fibre lanyards **shock absorber *fall arrest equipment will limit free fall to 2 metres (6 feet) or less *a visual inspection of the fall arrest equipment and system is completed and any equipment that is damaged or has been activated is taken out of service *person(s) are competent to perform the work Lifting Operations Lifts utilizing cranes, hoists, or other mechanical lifting devices will not commence unless: *an assessment of the lift has been completed and the lift method and equipment has been determined by a competent person(s) *operators of powered lifting devices are trained and certified for that equipment *rigging of the load is carried out by a competent person(s) *lifting devices and equipment have been certified for use within the last 12 months (at a minimum) *load does not exceed dynamic and/or static capacities of the lifting equipment *any safety devices installed on lifting equipment are operational *all lifting devices and equipment have been visually examined before each lift by a competent person(s) Driving Safety All categories of vehicle, including self-propelled mobile plant, must not be operated unless: *vehicle is fit for purpose, inspected and confirmed to be in safe working order *number of passengers does not exceed manufacturer’s design specification for the vehicle *loads are secure and do not exceed manufacturer’s design specifications or legal limits for the vehicle *seat belts are installed and worn by all occupants *safety helmets are worn by riders and passengers of motorcycles, bicycles, quads, snow-mobiles and similar types of vehicle Drivers must not be authorized to operate the vehicle unless: *they are trained, certified and medically fit to operate the class of vehicle *they are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and are not suffering from fatigue *they do not use hand-held cell phones and radios while driving (best practice is to switch off all phones and two-way radios when driving) Management of Change Work arising from temporary and permanent changes to organization, personnel, systems, process, procedures, equipment, products, materials or substances, and laws and regulations cannot proceed unless a Management of Change process is completed, where applicable, to include: *a risk assessment conducted by all impacted by the change development of a work plan that clearly specifies the timescale for the change and any control measures to be implemented regarding: **equipment, facilities and process **operations, maintenance, inspection procedures **training, personnel and communication **documentation *authorization of the work plan by the responsible person(s) through completion References